Two Charged for Web Video Game Gambling

Two U.K. men have been criminally charged with unlawful gambling, and an online video game is behind it all.

(CCM)— Two men from Essex have been charged with violating England's Gambling Act because of their activity on an online game. According to reports by the BBC, Dylan Rigby and Craig Douglas are both being accused by the the U.K.'s Gambling Commission of having promoted a lottery and advertised unlawful gambling, with Douglas having accrued an additional charge of inviting children to gamble. This case is believed to be the first ever instance of an online video game being the reason for an individual to be brought up on criminal gambling charges, but the BBC notes that the Commission has been investigating the area for some time now.

While the items upon which online users are wagering — weapons or clothes that are featured in popular games — are merely virtual, it would appear that the crime of doing so is not and is punishable by law. Also existing outside of the virtual world is the money that online betting brings in, which, according to the charges, is valued at around £4 billion. Rigby and Douglas' case has been adjourned until Oct. 14.